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Thread Number: 7310
Kirby 561 |
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| Post# 80809 , Reply# 1 9/14/2009 at 22:56 (5,330 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut) | ||
Great Kirby but not original.
Hi buddy, love the Kirby, I have one of those myself (in storage). Looking at the picture I see a number of things that don't match. I believe the 561 is 1961, then again it could be 1956. At 59 the memory fades. I can't tell what is original, but that is the famous "Kirby red!" I doubt if the bag is original. It looks like a replacement bag to fit a Kirby. Cord looks like a D-50, and the logo on the belt lifter looks wrong too. Hard to say what is original, but who cares? as long as it runs! How about a look at your collection, I'd love to see how the Dial A Matic looks with it's brothers and sisters. Enjoy, Alex Taber | ||
| Post# 80811 , Reply# 2 9/14/2009 at 23:34 (5,330 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS) | ||
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| Post# 80814 , Reply# 3 9/15/2009 at 00:07 (5,330 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut) | ||
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As I said, the memory fades.
Thanks for letting me know my memory is still intact. My first thought was 1961. Being a Kirby historian as well as a former training manager (Classic Omega through Heritage) I used to know these things. What threw me were the wheels. They are traditional "Kirby gray," I wondered if they were original and everything else was replaced, or were they replacement wheels? As for the cord, I knew that was a D-50 color. I guess that is whats known as a Frankenkirby! As I said, as long as he likes it. Alex. | ||
Post# 80817 , Reply# 4 9/15/2009 at 00:41 (5,330 days old) by kirbyclassiciii  (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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What This 561 Needs ... | ||
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Post# 80822 , Reply# 5 9/15/2009 at 05:18 (5,330 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs) |
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Here's A 561 | ||
| Post# 80827 , Reply# 6 9/15/2009 at 12:32 (5,330 days old) by electrolux~137 () | ||
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Such a gorgeous thing, isn't it. To me, the 560/61 is the most beautiful vacuum cleaner ever made. | ||
| Post# 80828 , Reply# 7 9/15/2009 at 13:12 (5,330 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut) | ||
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WOW! | ||
| Post# 80847 , Reply# 8 9/15/2009 at 18:01 (5,329 days old) by crevicetool (GA ) | ||
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Fred, That machine almost looks unreal!!!! It's like a mirror!! It is just so B E A U T I F U L. Thanks for the picture, Rick | ||
| Post# 80854 , Reply# 9 9/15/2009 at 18:52 (5,329 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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I would like to know how to polish mine like that, It's amazing. | ||
| Post# 80866 , Reply# 12 9/15/2009 at 21:28 (5,329 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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here Is a pictue I thought would be cool, I noticed when I Picked up the 561, The headlight was very bright This picture dosent really do it justice But you get the idea. 
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| Post# 80867 , Reply# 13 9/15/2009 at 21:32 (5,329 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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Another thing I noticed was how thin the bag was, So I was very exicted because I knew it would be a True ballooning Kirby bag And naturaly it was. 
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| Post# 80868 , Reply# 14 9/15/2009 at 21:33 (5,329 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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And the last thing I noticed, The Height adjustment dosent raise up as high as the Classic's And Etc. 
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Post# 80876 , Reply# 15 9/15/2009 at 21:50 (5,329 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs) |
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The Back Story
Of that beautiful 561 . . . I picked it up on Ebay a couple of years ago - complete with boxes and attachments including a complete can of Sweet-Aire! It was pretty beat up with deep scratches I thought would never come out and missing the original cord which is very hard to find. I would have ordinarily sent it back to Kirby for a rebuild, but at that time, it would have come back tricked out in tan trim. Couldn't have that! I got the cord from Fred Stachnik and had the headlight trim and waited for the right opportunity to get it buffed out and restored. Lo and behold, Greg Nunn lined me up with a vacuum guy in Omaha (who also restores vintage automobiles (the right combination!) I sent it to him without the bag and with the trim. This guy takes his time (about 3 months waiting) and on my next trip to Omaha personally went in and picked it up. It was front and center in the vacuum store and I almost peed in my pants when I saw it. Now reunited with the attachments (the box got a bit damaged in water in my basement) but well worth the patience to put the right combination of time and gathered parts together. Luckily the original bag was salvaged. He completely restored the machine including rebuilding the motor. So indeed, she is like brand new. Welcome to 1961 and the delivery of your new Kirby! I agree with Charles Richard, truly one beautiful machine and the Kirby that I remember as a kid.
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Post# 80877 , Reply# 16 9/15/2009 at 21:52 (5,329 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs) |
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Here it is | ||
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Post# 80878 , Reply# 17 9/15/2009 at 21:54 (5,329 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs) |
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And our very own | ||
| Post# 80879 , Reply# 18 9/15/2009 at 21:54 (5,329 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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What I would do to have any of my kirbys that shiny...... | ||
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Post# 80883 , Reply# 19 9/15/2009 at 22:04 (5,329 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs) |
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PS | ||
| Post# 80886 , Reply# 20 9/15/2009 at 22:19 (5,329 days old) by luxg () | ||
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Fred, that is one awesome machine. That's the very best restoration job on a Kirby I have ever seen!!! And you are so right, it is one damn good vacuum!! | ||
| Post# 80898 , Reply# 22 9/16/2009 at 02:18 (5,329 days old) by briankirbyclass (Eudora Kansas) | ||
I agree,,this 561 is absolutely beautiful. Another Kirby that is equally as stunning (imho) when its been highly polished, and restored back to A1 condition is the Kirby Tradition. The bright deep shiny polished silver with the dark blue trim is awsome. Unlike any other Kirby. I'll have to say the last time i sent in my Classic 1CR for a factory rebuild,,it came back looking especially beautiful. The new gold bag next to the shiny metal, and the polished bell shaped rug nozzle,and brown trim together is kinda cool looking,almost regal,like it should be used to clean an elegant room of a stately home,,something about it just says Classic Kirby! I remember a neighbor lady who bought a new Kirby Classic Omega in around 1973,,with all attachments. The neighbor wouldnt let me plug it in or use it,(for fear of it getting damaged!) but she would let me look at it. You cant let a kid "Play" with something so expensive! If she would have recognized the truth,,she could have had her house vacuumed for free, as often as she wanted! She had gold/brown/green kitchen carpet, and kept the Kirby in the corner where she could grab it in a hurry. She also had that long long gold shag carpet through out her house, popular at the time,,,and used the Shag King Rake on her Kirby whenever she vacuumed her living room. I remember walking by her house once when she was vacuuming with the living room windows open,,of course i recognized the "tone" of the Kirby motor and had to stop and watch. Thought it was really great! haha,,didnt take much to entertain me as a kid! | ||
| Post# 80899 , Reply# 23 9/16/2009 at 02:29 (5,329 days old) by briankirbyclass (Eudora Kansas) | ||
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Ha, i just remembered something else funny about that story,,that time i heard that neighbor using her new Classic Omega,,she was vacuuming her living room shag carpet with the Shag King, and i noticed she had the belt lifter turned OFF,,so i yelled at her thru the open window that she wasnt using the Kirby the right way,,that the belt should be turned on,,and it would do a better job of cleaning and grooming her carpet,,ect. Being the smart vacuum savvy little 7yr old,, i naturally noticed this indescrepency(sp?)and felt it was my duty to set her strait on the correct path to using a Kirby and vacuuming her carpet! She yelled at me that she knew what she was doing and didnt want the brush to beat her carpet to death, and to go away and mind my own business. HAHA I still think she was doing it wrong,,but then, hey, to each his own! | ||
| Post# 80928 , Reply# 24 9/16/2009 at 21:57 (5,328 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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I Think the Legend II's when Fully restored are beautiful. The chrome and Marone time Is just timeless. | ||
| Post# 80929 , Reply# 25 9/16/2009 at 21:57 (5,328 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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Time? WOW, I mean trim. | ||
| Post# 81068 , Reply# 28 9/19/2009 at 01:11 (5,326 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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Here She is all cleaned up, If you ask me she looks 100x better. Actualy fits in the collection now, Concerding all of my other vacs are very clean, This Is now too. 
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| Post# 81122 , Reply# 31 9/20/2009 at 01:40 (5,325 days old) by atrac (United States ) | ||
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I'll second the request -- what do you polish them with??? I just bought a 515 and would love to have it look like a mirrored finish!!! Is it steel wool and sand paper??? | ||
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Post# 81132 , Reply# 32 9/20/2009 at 09:50 (5,325 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs) |
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The Only Way
To get a shine like that 561 is with specialized equipment. Here is the buffing machine at Kirby. They also sandblast the aluminum before various stages of buffing with buffing compounds you can see next to the wheel. Very dangerous as well. I got a buffing machine from Sears, but have never been able to get the kind of shine a professional can. I leave it to them. These machines are dangerous as well.
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| Post# 81189 , Reply# 33 9/20/2009 at 21:48 (5,324 days old) by kirbfan94 () | ||
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Well I got a classic III Bag For it now. It looks much better and it gained some power too. 
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